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1984
"War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength." 1984 or "Nineteen Eighty-Four" is a 1949 novel by George Orwell. It is a dystopian novel, which means that it takes place in an unsettling, dark society in the near future. In the novel, a man named Winston Smith lives in Airstrip One (once called Great Britain) in the state of Oceania, where citizens are constantly monitored by the Party government led by Big Brother, and how Smith plans to rebel against his corrupt government and. society. 1984 has also invented several famous Orwellian words such as Newspeak, Big Brother and thought police. 1984 is known as Orwell's well-known work and is a popular school-read book, as well as being ranked among the greatest novels ever written. Plot summary Winston Smith is a middle-aged man living as a low-ranking member of the Party in London, Airstrip One (formerly called Great Britain). The futuristic year is 1984 and the world Smith lives in is divided up in 3 separate states: Oceania (where his home country, Airstrip One is), Eurasia and Eastasia, that have been caught up in an ongoing war against each other. Oceania is ruled by The Party, a socialist party who is ruled by the mysterious Big Brother. They make up all the rules and guidelines of Oceania and control everything in the nation, most notably constantly monitoring their citizens through TV surveillance-like cameras called telescreens. Everywhere Winston goes, the tele screens are always watching him, even in his own home. In addition, no one is allowed to fall in love, have sex or have free thoughts. The nation is also patrolled by intimidating officers called Thoughtpolice, who seek out and punish anyone who commits the crime ''thoughtcrime, ''which means when someone thinks of negative thoughts about the Party. The novel begins with Smith being frustrated at the Party's strict and rigid control. He hates the Party so much that one day, he illegally purchases a diary from a secondhand shop and begins to write all of his thoughts into it. He also becomes interested in a man named O'Brien, who is the member of the Party. Winston thinks that he is secretly part of the Brotherhood, an organization who plans to overthrow the Party, led by a mysterious man named Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites historical records to fit the Party's needs. At work, he spots a pretty, dark-haired woman who he suspects could be a spy for the Thought Police. One day, he receives a note from the woman that says, "I love you,". The woman's name is Julia and both she and Winston begin a secretive love affair. They keep their romance a secret from the Party and rent out a room together upstairs in the secondhand store where Winston bought the diary. Winston continues to hate the party the more he loves Julia and before long, O'Brien summons the couple to his home. He claims that he is a member of the Brotherhood and that he wants to stop the Party, too and would have the couple join the Brotherhood as well. He even gives them a copy of a book written by Emmanuel Goldstein about the basics of his founded clan and how they would join. However, O'Brien is actually a loyal member of the Party, and he ends up tricking Winston and Julia into believing him. The couple were arrested and imprisoned in separate rooms at the Ministry of Love. Winston becomes tortured and brainwashed by O'Brien for months until he is taken to Room 101 where any opposer to the Party would encounter their worst fear. Winston is afraid of rats, and both he and Julia betray each other when placed into the room and soon released. Winston has since lost his spirit and is now a faithful member of the Party. He no longer in love with Julia, who has also changed from her broken spirit. The novel closes with Winston looking up at Big Brother's portrait and finally begins to love and adore him. Category:British Literature Category:Dystopian novels Category:20th-century novels